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Monday, October 26, 2009

Homemade Tacos

I have had a pesky hankering for Mexican food for the last several weeks, and what I have been craving most of all recently is a good taco. I am lacking the ingredient necessary to make some good corn tortillas or corn chips (namely, Pan Masa Harina, a specially treated cornmeal), but I did find a recipe for flour tortillas that I adapted slightly to the ingredients I had available to me. The next challenge was finding a recipe that would replicate the flavor of a taco seasoning mix - and this one went above and beyond in that regard. It was full of flavor and tasted just like the meat seasoned with a store-bought packet of spices. Serve with all the usual taco fixings, including salsa, sour cream and cheese (if you can have them), guacamole or plain avocado with some salt and pepper added, and chopped lettuce. Another delicious tip is to spray a nonstick pan with olive oil, sprinkle some garlic powder and black pepper onto the pan, and then fry the tortilla until it is puffy, flipping over once and adding more garlic powder and black pepper to the other side - it adds an extra burst of flavor into your meal.
Homemade Taco Meat

Place the ground beef and green onions into a skillet and cook until the ground meat is browned. Stir frequently and break the meat into very small pieces. When the meat has been cooked, drain any excess grease and return to the pan. Add the onion flakes, chili powder, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper and stir to mix. Add 3/4 cup hot water and stir to mix, and return to medium heat. Let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or so, and then remove the lid and continue to simmer until the water has been absorbed. Serve with fresh homemade salsa, fresh avocados (with salt and pepper added), lettuce or spinach, sour cream and cheese (if you can have them), all stuffed into a delicious gluten-free homemade flour tortilla.